Couch bed



Jan; 24, '1939. J. c. FELDMAN GOUCH BED Filed Sept`. S, 1936 PatentedJan. 24, 1939 .its

.tiATEit'i' GEH@ CUCH BED Application September 9, 1936, Serial No.99,941

1 Claim.

This invention relates to couch beds of the extensible type, and itsprincipal objects are to provide a couch bed having nestable sectionsand a back-rest, the nestable sections being relatively movable so thatthey may be conveniently drawn to. extended position either to form twinbeds or a double bed readily accessible without removing the back-restor any of the parts; to provide a couch bed of the aforesaid typewhereinl the nest able sections are provided with releasable lockingmeans designed to prevent accidental release when used as a couch; andto pro-Vide a couch bed which is of simple and economical construction,having but few parts, which is eicient in operation and reliable in use,and which can be manufactured and sold at a relatively low cost.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent from a considerationof the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a couch bed constructed in accordancewith the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the locking mechanism atthe right hand side of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation showing the relationship of certainparts when the outer section is in extended position; and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The particular embodiment chosen for the purpose of illustrationcomprises a main or movable outer section l and a stationary innersection designated by the numeral 2 (Fig. 2). The main section lcomprises a box-like structure having a front wall t and side walls 5and E, the rear being open so that the main section may be drawn fromabout the stationary section. The top of the main section may be ofusual construction for supporting a pair of mattresses 9 which providethe seat cushion when the structure is used as a couch. The outer faceof the front and side walls may be provided with a suitable finish, suchas textile fabric, which may be secured to the lower mattress so as tohold it in position and give the appearance of continuity therewith. Theends of the side walls are provided with vertically extending angleirons l@ whose lower ends are provided with casters or rollers H whichsupport the main section for movement from nested position to extendedposition.

The stationary section 2 may be of conventional construction havinglongitudinally and transversely extending frame members i4 and l5 whichcarry the usual spring supporting structure and are connected to legs oruprights I6 spaced inwardly from the transverse members, as shown moreclearly in Fig. 5. Pivotally connected to the front ends of thetransverse members l5 are hooks 5 i8 (Figs. 2, 4 and 5) normallyarranged above the level of cut-out portions or recesses I9 (Figs. 1 and4) Yin the legs ll) of the main section, the hooks I3 being disposed toproject into the openings I9 when the main section is pulled to extendedposition, thereby limiting its outward movement, as shown in Figs. 4 and5. The hooks I8 may be swung upwardly so as to disengage the legs ill,thereby permitting the movable section to be pulled away from thestationary section to provide twin beds. If desired resilient guards 20(Fig. 5) may be provided on the inner face of the side walls 5 and 6 toprevent the transverse members l5 from binding against the side wallswhen the two sections are being moved to or from extended position.

A back rest designated by the numeral 22 is supported by the innersection, the back rest comprising a U-shaped member having legs 23 and24 spaced apart a distance corresponding to that between the rear legsI6 of the inner section, and at least one intermediate longitudinalmember 25 which is positioned above the upper surface of the topmattress 9, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The lower ends of the legs 23 and24 are bolted or otherwise secured to the rear legs iB of the innersection and the upper part of the back rest which projects above thecushions 9 may, if desired, be provided with a suitable covering 28.

In order to hold the sections in nested position and overcome any dangerof them becoming accidentally displaced when used as a couch, I providea centrally disposed releasable latch mechanism (Fig. 3) which isdesigned so as to hold interlocking parts carried by the respectivesection in engagement when the sections are in nested position. Thelatch mechanism comprises an L- shaped member 30 having a verticallyextending wing 3l which is secured in any suitable manner to the centralpart of the inner surface of the front wall 4, and a horizontalyextending wing 32 which projects inwardly at approximately the samehorizontal level as the upper surface of the front longitudinal framemember I5. The outer end of the wing 32 is curved upwardly and one .sideof the lower wing 3l is bent inwardly to provide a bracket 34. A latchmember 35 is pivotally secured to the bracket 34 so as to swing about ahorizontal axis substantially parallel to the frame member I5, thislatch being formed with a recess 36 and a cam-like nose 31, the upperedge of which is disposed below the wing 32 a distance less than thedepth of the wing Ia of the frame member I5, as shown in Fig. 3. Thewing I5a provides, in effect, a catch or abutment adapted to interlockwith the recessed portion of the latch 35 when the sections are innested position.

The lower end of the latch 35 extends below the lower edge of the frontwall 4 and is formed with an enlarged end portion which constitutes ahan dle 38 by means of which the latch may be released. A small tensionspring 40 (Fig. 3), connected at one end to the latch and at itsopposite end to the wing 32, normally holds the latch in catch engagingposition and the handle 38 inwardly of the front wall 4, but permits thelatch to be swung to a released position wherein the interlocking partsare clear of each other so that the outer section may be moved toextended position.

When the outer section of a couch constructed in accordance with thepresent invention is moved or pushed from an extended position to nestedposition, the wing 32 rst engages the upper surface of the longitudinalmember I5 and thus holds the parts at al predetermined horizontal levelso that when the nose 3l strikes the lower edge or Wing |523 these partsbecome nterlocked, as shown in Fig. 3. When the sections are in nestedposition with the latch 35 in engagement with the wing or catch I5a, theback and inner section may be tilted (as indicated by the dot and dashlines of Fig. 3) Without danger of releasing the latch, and hence whenthe couch is occupied there will be no liability of the latch becomingaccidentally released, even though the occupants lean against the baci:rest and subject the section to forces which otherwise would separatethem.

When it is desired to move the outer section to Aextended position, itis merely necessary to swing the handle 38 outwardly, using either thehand or toe, and the same movement which releases the latch is eifectiveto cause initial movement of the outer section toward its extendedposition. When the outer section has been drawn to fully extendedposition, the hook I8 operates to limit further outward movement in themanner previously explained, but Where it is desired to form twin beds.the hook I8 may be swung upwardly from the recesses I9 in the legs ID,thus permitting the sections to be completely separated.

While I have shown and described one desirable embodiment of myinvention it is to be understood that this disclosure is intended forthe purpose of illustration and that various changes in shape,proportion and arrangement of parts, as well as the substitution ofequivalent elements for those herein shown and described, may be madeWithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a couch bed having inner and outer sections capable of relativemovement from a nested to an extended position and a back rest carriedby one of the sections, releasable locking means for holding saidsections in nested position, comprising a longitudinally extending framemember carried by one of said sections and dening an abutment, aninverted substantially L-shaped member carried by the other of saidsections and arranged so that its upper wing extends horizontally andengages the upper edge of said abutment when said sections are in nestedrelation, a latch pivotally mounted on the lower wing of the invertedsubstantially L-shaped member and arranged so as to engage and lock thelower edge of said abutment when said sections are in nested relation,and resilient means urging said latch toward locking position.

JACOB C. FELDMAN.

